S'nice

There are plenty of physics-puzzlers available on the App Store, but there are very few that manage to stand out from the crowd. That’s not to say that there isn’t innovation or good design on show - just that finding a special game in the scrum is something of a thankless task.

Take Slice the Ice for example. It’s different enough to stand out, but not special enough to really sparkle, finding its space in that middle ground of games that are entertaining for a while, but ultimately forgettable.

Chip away

The game is all about dropping a rubber duck into the welcoming arms of a blue squirrel. Doing so involves clearing out a series of frozen obstacles and letting the slightly wonky physics send your bath toy tumbling to the bottom of the screen.

There are also four nuts scattered around the levels. You need to grab these if you want to get the highest scores. You’ll also need to think about the number of cuts you’re going to use – too many and you’ll be eating away at your points total.

Cutting the ice and watching the lumps slide down and crash into each other is a pleasant experience, but it’s occasionally inconsistent. The rocket boosters that are attached to some icicles are the worst offenders, often blasting off in ridiculous directions.

Learning to cut multiple pieces of ice with a single slice is the key to getting the best scores, and while the level design isn’t of the highest order there’s enough going on to keep you engaged.

Cool choppings

The cartoon graphics are easy on the eye, and the changes of scenery in the different zones, which you need to buy in-app once you’ve completed the first, are varied enough that things don’t get too staid.

Slice the Ice isn’t a bad game, but it dwells in that swelling middle ground of above-average titles which find it hard to define themselves.

While you’re playing it’s likely you’re going to be enjoying yourself. But once the swell of interest that comes with any new toy has died down, you’ll find your attention is unlikely to wander over to the game again.